Asus RT AC87R Router AC2400 Review

Discussing the Asus AC2400 wireless dual band gigabit router, model # RT-AC87R. This router is a great upgrade from the Netgear router that we used since 2012. In this review, we discuss our experiences with using the RT-AC87R, and why we like it so much.

Our old access point (WAP) reached its end-of-life status (Netgear does not support it anymore). Plus, stability problems on our local network surfaced when we played streaming video through our home network. So it was time for a router upgrade.

Asus RT AC87R Router Advantages, Benefits, Pros, and Features

In this Asus RT-AC87 review, we cover many, but not all benefits of this router.

Vastly improved Wireless Performance

Our streaming video devices work much better using this Asus RT-AC87R Extreme router.

Wifi Certified

The access point portion of this router conforms to current WiFi standards.

IPv6 Support

The Asus RT-AC87R can work in an IPv6 network setting. With this WAP, You are ready when the internet migrates to IPv6.

Dual Band WiFi

2.4 and 5 Ghz. 802.11 AC provided. Plus, the Asus RT AC87 can broadcast on both at the same time (each network has its own SSID).

AiRadar Beam Forming

The Asus RT-AC87R aims its signals at each client wireless device that connects to it. This raises usable range, and data rates. We also see much reducing dropped connections and errors. The signal follows you around as you move about with your WiFi device.

Ultra Fast Data Rates

Up to 1734 Mbps throughput on 5 Ghz., and at the same time, 600 Mbps on 2.4 Ghz. Speedier than many of the tri-band 3X3 access points.

Multi Input Multi Output (MIMO) Support

Multiple antennas, radios, and ultra-fast processors allow the Asus AC87R to support many users at the same time, without hiccups.

WPS Support

Guest Networks

In preps for this Asus AC2400 review, we played around with the guest network offered here. Guest networks let people access other devices on your network. But they restrict internet access if so desired. Use them to print to local printers or access files on local computers.

UPnP Support

Print Server Support

The RT AC87R can act as a print server. That is, it makes an attached USB printer available for printing from wireless devices on its networks.

WiFi ON / OFF Button

Stop wireless networks by pressing the WiFi ON / OFF button on the front panel.

Power Button on Rear

They put the power ON OFF button on the rear of the unit. This place helps ensure that you don’t accidentally press it, thus bringing down your network.

Four External Removable Antennas

Furthermore, this 4X4 MU-MIMO areal design boosts range of the Asus router 2400 speed and link reliability. Also, this works well on devices you move around within the Wifi network “bubble”. The antennas give strong WiFi in up to 5000 square feet on both the 2.4 and 5 Ghz. bands.

Both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 Ports

The router further provides network access to attached USB devices. These include…

Hard drives.

Thumb drives.

Flash drives.

Other USB storage devices.

You can then access them through WiFi. Thus you have no need for hosting computers, because this router hosts them by itself.

Four Gigabit Ethernet Ports

The quality built-in gigabit switch in the Asus RT AC87 has four Ethernet ports for wired devices.

One Gigabit WAN Port

Use this port if you have a single WAN connection.

Dual WAN Support

You can also use the first LAN port as a second WAN port. If you have a second WAN connection this router load balances between the two. Doing so gives faster internet response.

VPN Capable

4K Ultra HD Video Streaming Capable

We tested this Asus router with HD video streams. It indeed worked flawlessly. Will report when we test on a 4K device.

AiProtection with TrendMicro

Adaptive Quality of Service (QoS)

Designed for Maximal Gaming Experience

Has built-in tuning options for X-Box, PlayStation, and other gaming platforms.

Two Dual Core Processors

Any data bog downs in the network would probably not reside within the Asus RT-AC87R. Why? Because these lightning fast microprocessors really keep things moving. Even with several connected devices downloading and uploading data at the same time, this router keeps up.

Hardware Network Address Translation (NAT)

The NAT facility in this Asus WiFi router offers low WAN to LAN latency. So you get ultra fast routing into your local network.

Hefty Switching Power Supply Adapter

The included 19-volt power supply does not sag, even during high-rate, long data bursts.

Fanless

There’s no fan inside to draw in dust. Dust can degrade router performance. So no fan keeps most of that dust out. They heat sink the heat making parts quite well. Thus, we feel only lukewarm temps on the case.

Easy Firmware Updates

This unit downloads its own firmware updates without the need for saving an update file to a computer first. But you can still upload new firmware files from your computer if you wish. You may do this if downgrading to a previous firmware version.

Network Map

In the web interface, you also get an at-a-glance overview of system status. It shows LAN, wireless 2 Ghz., and 5 Ghz. networks it hosts. You can check out things like…

Processor and memory utilization.

Real time network watching.

Also a Connected Devices list.

Firmware update status.

MAC and IP addresses of attached devices.

Save and Restore System Configuration

You can save the current router settings to a file on your computer. Then you may restore it. Handy, if you make changes to the router that “break” it. Finally, this feature allows you to restore a working set of settings.

System Recovery Option

Should a firmware upgrade operation fail, you can restore the RT-AC87R with included software on the CD. Incidents of “bricking” the router are therefore, reduced. Good thing too, as expensive as this router is.

Several Router Operation Modes

You may also set this Asus 2400 router as follows.

Wireless router (the default configuration).

WiFi access point (which is how we use it currently).

Media bridge.

The router function provides NAT between your local network and the wide area network (WAN). You also get a WAP and firewall, working altogether as one device.

The Asus AC 2400 access point mode turns off the NAT, DHCP, and firewall functionality. It provides a high quality dedicated WAP. Use this option when you already have firewall and DHCP services running elsewhere on your local network.

Access Lists

Both MAC address and IP address filtering available for restrictive and permissive security. Allows control over just which devices can or cannot access your network. So you may either deny all devices except for the IP addresses / MAC addresses of the ones you list. Or allow all devices except for the listed ones.

System Logs

Further, the Asus RT-87R keeps a log of routine and errors it sees in its memory. You can then access these via its web interface. Or, it can email you the log info at set intervals. This router keeps both a general log as well as a wireless system log.

The Asus RT-AC87R Has Received Many Accolades

PC Magazine awarded its Reader’s Choice Award to this router for three years running, the box says.

Asus RT87R Two Year Limited Warranty

Expensive

At over $300 total (including sales tax), the RT-AC87R is perhaps the most pricey router we’ve seen to date. But we well spent our money given how well it performs and its stability. Sadly though, to own one, you need lots of shekels.

Long Boot Up Time

Takes just over two minutes from power on, until the unit finishes booting. We expected a much shorter boot time, given the two dual-core processors. Oh well. But once up, this unit almost never goes down. We leave ours run for many months at a time without rebooting with no problems.

No Scheduled Rebooting Option

Some high-end routers allow setting a time of the day and day of the week for auto reboot. Why? Because rebooting regularly, clears any slow-growing memory and handle leaks present in the firmware. Regular rebooting generally improves reliability. We found no such option in the RT-AC87R however. Nor have we ever seen a need for it.

Needs Rebooting Sometimes if you Restart your WAN

We find that if we reboot our cable modem, then it’s best to also reboot this Asus router. Sometimes the RT-AC87R WiFi system is indeed slow after a modem restart. It stays slow until we also restart this router. This should improve though as new firmware updates come out.

Our Rating

The Asus RT-87AC is by far the best wireless router we’ve ever owned. We like the purchase, even though our wallets are still empty. Further, we love the reliability from the beamforming and the four antennas. Then too, there’s the extensive web-based admin pages. E.g. These give you much control over hundreds of settings. So the seasoned IT worker will truly appreciate the Asus RT-AC87 “techy” features. Best of all, our wireless devices work much better on the RT-AC87R. So to wrap up this review, we rate this router at 95 out of 100. Hopefully as the technology matures, they’ll lower the price.